like a bitter stranger

[samuraiwomen]

Who: Everyone
What: Our monthly family meeting.
When: March 5th, 2000.
Where: Yogen dorms common room.
Warnings: Discussions of murder, suicide, child death...more?



[ A message goes up on the forums late Friday evening.

S.chidouin: Group meeting in the dorms Saturday. 12:00. No punching. No stabbing. I'll bring stickers.

If your character would not find a post from Sara worth listening too, Bonnie is wandering around, vaguely noting how important this meeting is, and how very much you should attend. No further details are forthcoming.

The meeting itself is a quiet affair. The fireplace is not lit, there are no snacks. Sara waits in the corner for everyone to arrive and get settled and then she clears her throat to speak. ]

As most of you know... [ It's hard to start, but her voice gets firmer as she goes on. ] We spent the last two months investigating Maya Arisu's murder. That case is solved. A few weeks ago, Bonnie-chan and I found the culprit.

Rantaro Amami killed Maya Arisu, Hiro Arisu, the vice principal and is presumably responsible for the scene with Keigo Arata. He is also dead. I just figured...everyone should know. To many people got hurt the last few months. I'm sorry.

[ She fiddles with her hair. That's all...she really has to say. There's not much more then that as the gist of it. ]

Comments

[samuraiwomen]

I keep thinking the same thing... If I'd done something different.. if I'd confronted Amami alone when I first suspected him. Maybe then...before all the lies really started we could have understood eachother.

[ Everything compounded, a million little pieces that rolled up into eachother. Snowballing down and down, till all they're left standing in is the remains of everything crushed under that weight. ]

Or when I did it again...I lost my temper. If I hadn't done that...or... [ She leans back, rubbing her face with her sleeve. ] I'm mad at Amami, but I'm mad at myself too.

I don't know Subaru... I think we both really messed this one up.

[notsosou]

None of us knew what would happen for certain... It's easy to say these things after the fact, isn't it?

[There's that part of him he doesn't like hearing from, that's saying if he'd just left Rantaro bleeding there, or told... anyone about it... Even as he knows he wouldn't have made any other decision at the time. He hates this so much.]

Why did it go this far...?

[Keigo, he can understand... Horrible, hard to look at, but he can. But the Vice Principal, Hiro... that was just... what, to cover his tracks? Why did he draw things out this much? Who was he, really?]

[starrypoint]

[sara's got the right of it and it makes him laugh, throat tight-- shin's response surprises him though, because it really is easy to say these things after the fact.

... he levels a stare at the other, pressing his lips together, before reaching over to pull him closer. come sit with them okay.]

If that bastard comes back, let's keep a good eye on him. He'll never leave our sights so there's no way he could get into trouble again, whether he wants us or not. I've gotta level my fist into his face for framing me anyway.

[samuraiwomen]

Pft...

[ Subaru always makes her laugh, even at the worst moments of her life. She tugs on Sou's sleeve when Subaru pulls him over. Come on...join the comfort lean. Its like a hug without arms. ]

Nanami [ Which one oh god she THINKS its the not AI one she's getting a little better but she didn't actually check ] wants to hold a welcome home party when he comes back. Suppose we all punch him then! Bam...bam! No more lying! How dare you...!

And then we can all say "how did it turn out like this?", together. Even if thats not forgiveness...I want to do that with Amami-san at least.

[notsosou]

Urk...!

[What's this all of a sudden? He thought they weren't getting along? He's caught in a tractor beam by both his sleeves...]

Punching him, huh... It's tempting... [He'd actually be able to land a decent hit now too... assuming using his scarf wouldn't be cheating. Otherwise he'd probably hurt his hand more than Amami's face...] ...Wouldn't really be him we'd be punching, though...

[The Rantaro who made these decisions, who knew Keigo... is basically dead. They'd be dealing with some fork of him. It depends if he'd be someone capable of repeating history...]

...I promised Keigo we'd have ozoni on New Years. So they both should be back by then.

[Since Amami would want to come back with him, and Keigo shouldn't break the promise. It's kind of a lie, Shin doesn't actually know... but it's the kind where you can close your eyes and gently let yourself pretend it isn't, in the moment. And in it's own way it's the message inherent in a purr; the two of them should stay that long to see it, too.]

[starrypoint]

Yeah~, that's a good point. But it'd feel good anyway.

[it wouldn't be fair though, and subaru hooks his arm a little more securely through shin's once he's close enough. wouldn't really be amami... not in a sense, sure; he wouldn't know what he's being punched for, no more than subaru knows just why natsume is so hurt now.

he chews the inside of his lip and leans his head on shin this time, briefly.]

I mean, new year's wasn't so bad this year. It'd be nice to see the sunrise for real with them too.

[then back to sara]

Whatcha think, Sasara? Wanna crash their ozoni party with me? The more the merrier~, and this sounds awfully like we're being invited anyway, don't it~?

[samuraiwomen]

I guess I have room in my schedule to punch Amami at two parties.

[ Ozoni...Sou's cooking isn't half bad when he has the energy for it. Sara wants some. She'll be showing up now. ]

It's still him. Even if he doesn't remember, its still that same idiotic unbearable guy.

[ She can loop her hand around Sou's shoulder to pat Subaru on the head. Sou...well she won't touch him that much, but theres still warm intent there. ]

...And if he doesn't remember... I don't even wanna tell him why. I'll just punch him and say he deserved it.

[notsosou]

[He's trapped... He tugs up his scarf when Sara reaches around his shoulder, keeping that barrier up between his neck and her hand, but it's in the way someone absently adjusts cufflinks, or a collar.]

'Wasn't so bad' is debateable... Right, it was dark that day, wasn't it?

[So there really wasn't a sunrise... Shin had had rather more pressing things on his mind at the time. Also he really should have expected them inviting themselves, shouldn't he? Looks like the day has finally arrived... the day his cooking ends up summoning people after so long gravitating to wherever people are cooking himself.]

At this rate I'm going to have to start stocking up ingredients now... Maybe recruit some help.

[Because this started out just something Shin was planning to make for them both, but if more people are going to keep joining in... he's probably going to have to rest a few days in advance, too. Good thing it'll be in break... it kind of hits him in this moment just how much he's planning for a future here in Yogen.]

Ahaha... you can tell him it's because he's been missing for months.

[Yes, he's making that callback. He still remembers that.]